An ancient wooden hunters' toolbox from Zambia is creating a stir on social media, challenging long-held misconceptions about Africa's literacy and cultural practices. “We grew up being told that Africans didn't know how to read and write,” says Samba Yonga, co-founder of the Women's History Museum of Zambia. The artifact, adorned with the rarely used Sona writing system, is a centerpiece of an online campaign aimed at highlighting women's essential roles in pre-colonial societies while reviving cultural heritage nearly lost to colonialism.
Alongside this toolbox, other artifacts like a beautifully decorated leather cloak, absent from Zambia for over a century, reveal a deep and often overlooked history. "Our cultural heritage has been disrupted and obscured by the colonial experience," Yonga explains. The Women's History Museum has posted 50 objects on social media, documenting their significance and the importance of women's contributions to cultural belief systems and environmental stewardship.
The project further explores themes of identity and reclamation in the context of Zambian history, emphasizing a resurgence of interest in cultural heritage through various mediums, including fashion and music. The initiative titled "The Frame" aims to address and correct the narrative that African societies lacked their own effective knowledge systems. By framing the historical context of these artifacts, it highlights the systematic silencing of local wisdom during colonial times.
Yonga's journey into the world of Zambian artifacts began in Stockholm where she discovered an extensive collection of Zambian cultural objects at the National Museums of World Cultures. She was struck by the rich trove of items, collected during the 19th and early 20th centuries—many gathered from regions that remain inaccessible today. This collection includes various items, from ceremonial masks to intricately designed leather cloaks made from lechwe antelope skin.
One of Yonga's favorite discoveries is the Sona or Tusona writing system, which uses geometric patterns to encode knowledge. This ancient method, once taught by women of the Chokwe, Luchazi, and Luvale communities, encompasses messages about nature, community life, and even mathematical principles. Women continue to serve as custodians of this knowledge, preserving vital cultural information that could easily be lost.
Stories like that of the Tonga community's grinding stone—once considered a kitchen tool but revealed as a powerful symbol of women’s significance in the community—further illustrate the depth of Zambian heritage that has yet to be fully recognized. The Women's History Museum of Zambia is committed to documenting these histories while creating an online archive of items removed from Zambia.
Ultimately, the Frame project provides a platform for Yonga and others to reforge connections with their identity. "Having a sense of my community and understanding the context of who I am historically, politically, socially, emotionally—has changed the way I interact with the world," she states. As the campaign unfolds, it seeks to empower more individuals to reclaim their narratives and redefine how African histories are perceived in the modern world.
